The difference between $50 and $300 for a dinner to Savannah Hocter is if she is given a regular soda instead of the diet version she ordered.
UF sociology and criminology senior Hocter has Type 1 diabetes, meaning her body cannot produce insulin, a hormone that converts food to energy. Any unknown sugar intake can cause her glucose to spike.
The Right Care Alliance and the Empowered Patient Coalition of Gainesville are holding a public forum in the Reitz Union on July 31 at 5 p.m. to discuss rising drug prices, focusing on insulin, UF medical and doctoral student Frederick Ashby said.
Ashby said the three companies that own the patent to insulin in the U.S. — Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — have jacked prices in unison for the past few decades.
The cost for these companies to produce a bottle of insulin is $1.90, Ashby said, yet they charge about $300 a bottle.
Ashby said the organizations are hosting the forum because they believe in policy solutions, and they hope to host professional speakers and local politicians.
“The insulin products have not changed during these price hikes since each type was created,” Ashby said. “These rising drug prices are purely for company profit.”
